This Year, BCM is asking for your support in raising direct relief funds for our children and young people. You can make a massive difference in a young person’s life. Below is a message from our Superintendent, Rev. David Campton;

First of all, we want to once again thank you for the consistent support you have shown us, including, most recently in our winter 2024 appeal. Your contributions and encouragements are appreciated across our teams, with the appeal making a marked difference for some of our service users. Your help often unlocks situations where our presence alone is not enough, and extra resources are needed. This could be paying the meter to keep the heat on, or an emergency grocery shop. Such tangible acts of kindness are often the type of response that we are unable to resource out of our core funds, but your help enables us to go that bit further.

In this appeal, we want to focus in on younger people’s services that often underpin the lifelong impact that BCM’s work delivers. In a recent away day, one team member profoundly reflected that helping a young person at their point of need could disrupt a future lifetime of trauma and dependency,  manifesting further down the line in our older people’s services.

The work of our four supported houses often goes under the radar in BCM’s wider outreach, as the personal situations of our young residents can be very traumatic and make for difficult reading. Our support workers deliver round the clock household management, whilst also being one to one support workers, counsellors, mentors, and often many other roles within a young person’s life. In showing a level of compassion and commitment to these young lives, we believe that no one is beyond help, and all can make enduring, life-enhancing changes in their behaviour and attitudes. B’s story is one example of this;   

B arrived at BCM’s supported accommodation as a young person in crisis, following family and relationship breakdowns and a resulting suicide attempt. During this time, B was heavily reliant on a number of narcotic drugs to manage his emotional pain. After initially being placed in a short-term emergency bed, B wanted to come back to us after turning 18, having felt the trust and support of our staff.

Through prolonged compassionate conversations and referrals to adult mental health services, B began reducing his drug use and developing healthier coping mechanisms. With continued support, B secured a café job in September 2024 and started to build solid routines. He improved budgeting skills which had previously hindered his progress, and he continued to get more and more control of his drug use. B now prioritises stability and saving for a private rental with a friend after their tenancy ends in August 2025. They are both hopeful for the future and express deep gratitude for the support received at BCM (Summarized from an annual report written by the site manager)

Whilst B’s story is unique it is sadly typical of the journey that many of our young people face in entering our services, after experiencing family breakdown, institutional care and/or homelessness. Despite regular support and close proximity to others, living in supported accommodation can still be a lonely experience for our young people, as they deal with trauma and behavioural cycles that hinder their start to adult life.

Your contributions help us do more for young people like B, with provision of additional activities, training and trips out that make positive memories for these young lives. By walking alongside them, our hope is that they build aspiration, confidence and hope for times ahead.

In December 2024, two of our young people’s managers embarked on a fundraising journey to make Christmas a special time in their households, walking the 20 mile coastal route between our Bangor and Belfast homes, and in storm conditions! This level of commitment is increasingly being called upon, as the slow erosion of public funding forces us to prioritise our resources when looking to give the likes of B a small gift, or cook them a Christmas dinner. 

Compassion is at the heart of everything we do. This trait was put into practice throughout the life of Jesus, as he recognized and responded with kindness to the hardships faced by those in need - valuing the person above the problem. As a fresh challenge to ourselves for 2025, we are striving to gain fresh insights into the experiences of those who use our services. Our work alongside Trussell in tackling the root causes of food poverty has entered its second year, with campaigns around the theme of housing taking shape. Indeed for the likes of B, we see an unmet need in the lack of suitable housing for young people leaving care. His story could be one that without further help, encounters more setbacks that he should have to face. As an organisation, we are working diligently to find innovative solutions for this problem, whilst speaking to those who can influence this narrative.

More about our supported projects:

Supported Housing Projects

Accommodating young people aged 16-22 who have to live away from the family home. This includes care leavers and young people with complex and traumatic backgrounds.

Tafelta Rise, Magherafelt: 13 flatlets

Riverside Place, Bangor: 12 flatlets

Grampian Avenue, Belfast: 6 rooms

Thomas Street, Dungannon: 4 rooms

Housing Support For Young People

Providing advice, advocacy and support for young people getting started on their housing journey. This includes helping them secure benefits and wider support in setting up their first home.

Mid Ulster/ Ards and North Down

Family Support

Providing additional support for parents of children age 0 to 5 in socially disadvantaged situations.

Dungannon/ Ards

Therapeutic Counselling for Young Adults

Mental health and trauma counselling in North Down

Support these projects and make a difference in a young person's life. You can give online via the link below 

https://tinyurl.com/bcmsummer25